Lowe Manila launched Lowe Counsel, its cutting-edge strategic insights and innovation consultancy arm, last February 3 at the Manila Mandarin.
Lowe Counsel is the new brand consultancy and research division of Lowe Manila, providing strategic and innovative insights to local companies who seek a deeper understanding of the Filipino market. More than just traditional market intelligence research, Lowe Counsel provides the key for local companies to have a chance to dominate and capture their market.
“What Lowe Counsel offers clients is more than just typical trend-spotting,” said Richard Welch, co-director of Lowe Counsel.
“Emerging consumer behavior and attitudes are studied, investigated, and analyzed closely even before it becomes mainstream. Lowe Counsel’s in-depth research also provides real-time insights into consumers’ lifestyle. This way, clients can then easily formulate future directions, opportunities, threats and strategies in pursuing their target market.
"We provide our clients constant dialogue with the most influential consumers,” Welch stated.
Some of the most notable projects of Lowe Counsel are the AXETC and “Window On Women.” AXETC is a website that collects data on global trends and other brands that relate to the AXE brand and target market.
“Lowe Counsel has helped the Axe network of managers in every corner of the world to access relevant insightful information on youth brands and leading edge consumers from around the world,” said Mariano Sampietro, global brand manager of AXE and HPC Deos. Sampietro added that their partnership with Lowe Counsel is “critical to help everyone keep their fingers on youth culture and helps raise the bar in our brand activities.”
Welch, together with his Co-Director Zoe Lazarus, is joined by a team of researchers and producers primarily from London and New York. By tapping into Lowe Counsel’s international Thought Leaders Network, who are at the forefront of new ideas and behavior, clients are enabled to have an access to a global network of over 3,000 influencers and thought leaders in 55 key cities around the world.
In the Philippines, Lowe Counsel is represented by Bang Gutierrez, vice president for Brand Planning. Gutierrez has over 21 years of experience in the advertising industry working with clients such as Johnson and Johnson, Unilever Foods, Unilab, Monde Nissin, Zesto Corp., and Red Ribbon, among many others
For its pilot effort, the researchers at Lowe Counsel recently conducted “Food For Thought,” a study to determine consumer behavior and emerging trends towards food consumption. Lowe Counsel tapped experts and luminaries in the culinary industry to gather their insights and observations on the evolution of the Filipinos’ eating habits, preference and behavior.
One of the findings is the growing trend towards regional and community brands of food products in the country. According to the Lowe Counsel study, local food will be a key trend. All-time local favorite dishes will be revived and elevated and traditional dishes will be the focus of the new generation of local chefs. Gutierrez reiterated the importance of having this information available for clients.
“This type of insight and information that we are able to gather from the Lowe Counsel study will be instrumental in helping our clients develop strategic product positioning and determine future directions,” she said.
Adobo. The word on advertising.
